We began the third and final national dialogue for the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review this week. This dialogue is the culmination of an extensive stakeholder outreach effort that began in June with Secretary Napolitano’s outreach to homeland security stakeholder associations and two previous national dialogues.

During the previous two dialogues, we asked stakeholders to review, rate, and discuss the concepts, ideas, and draft recommendations developed by our six study groups. In the second national dialogue, over 11,000 stakeholders viewed study group proposals, and offered more than 400 unique ideas, over 2,000 comments, and over 4,000 ratings. These stakeholders came from across the entire homeland security enterprise, all 50 U.S. States and the District of Columbia, and more than 2,000 U.S. Cities. Stakeholders have offered insightful comments about critical concepts such as resiliency, achieving balance between security and the facilitation of trade and legal immigration, individual, community, and family preparedness, and the need to develop working relationships and partnerships. This extensive stakeholder feedback, along with insights from our DHS study group members, interagency partners and key Association stakeholders, has continued to inform the work of our study groups.

The third dialogue, which ends on October 4, presents the final study group proposals, including the vision, goals, objectives, and key strategic outcomes from the mission studies as well as the path forward for the Homeland Security National Risk Assessment Study Group. We are seeking your input on the strategic approaches proposed by the study groups, the implications of these proposed strategic approaches, and the proposed strategic outcomes.

Your input will help inform the final review and decision-making on the QHSR study group proposals. Join the conversation at www.homelandsecuritydialogue.org.

Alan

Alan D. Cohn is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy (Strategic Plans)

The Quadrennial Homeland Security Review is in the midst of its second National Dialogue. For those of you who haven’t been following too closely, the review is a congressionally mandated, top-to-bottom review of homeland security. There are six study groups, focusing on:

• Counterterrorism and Domestic Security Management
• Securing Our Borders
• Smart and Tough Enforcement of Immigration Laws
• Preparing for, Responding to, and Recovering from Disasters
• Homeland Security National Risk Assessment
• Homeland Security Planning and Capabilities

We are using online dialogues to allow stakeholders the opportunity to inform the work of our study groups.

During the first dialogue, more than 8,000 stakeholders rated and commented on proposed visions and goals from the study groups. We reviewed all rating data and comments submitted and forwarded to study groups – overall, we were very impressed with the quality and thoughtfulness of what we heard from you during the first dialogue.

For example, we received many recommendations on how to improve content, like simpler and more direct language. Stakeholders pointed out the critical interdependencies and emerging overlaps between study groups, and reinforced the need to stress mitigation as having a complementary role with preparedness, response, and recovery. Participants also stressed the need for ‘resiliency’ in the entire QHSR strategy, and the use of standard terminology.

We heard you – we relied on your feedback to modify our proposals and to enhance the user experience for the second national dialogue, which began on August 31st. During the second dialogue, we are asking stakeholders to rank proposed objectives and offer suggestions on how to achieve them.

Due to the upcoming Labor Day Weekend Holiday, we have extended the Second National Dialogue to Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. We’re eager to hear your input.

Join the conversation at http://www.homelandsecuritydialogue.org/


Alan

Alan D. Cohn is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy (Strategic Plans)

The Quadrennial Homeland Security Review launches a new phase today.

The Office of Strategic Planning (OSP) is taking something that’s usually somewhat humdrum and using it to build a pretty cool new process.

Basically, based on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Report, Congress mandated some time ago that DHS complete an internal review this year (and every four years hereafter) and report recommendations about strategy, programs, policies, and capabilities. But Congress left it up to OSP to determine just what that the review – the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) would look like.

The entire review will be unclassified, which makes it a little unconventional from the start. The whole process is also creatively set up in a way that acknowledges that many individuals—at multiple levels of government as well as outside the government—make decisions and provide expertise that contribute to homeland security.

Earlier this year, Secretary Napolitano invited representatives from every part of this broader homeland security community to contribute position papers to a public document library. This means that input from academics, experts, think tanks, professional associations, and more—all specialists in areas under the homeland security umbrella—all helped inform the QHSR’s frame of reference.

From there, the study groups—each made up of DHS officials and facilitated by an independent expert to ensure all viewpoints are represented and opinions heard—will examine focus areas (law enforcement and security, intelligence, etc.). Here’s where it gets really interesting, though: they’re going to be using a web-based collaborative dialogue platform for these studies, which means that all stakeholders, individuals or organizations with recognized homeland security roles and members of the general public can participate.

You can participate by logging on to http://www.homelandsecuritydialogue.org/ today to pre-register for the upcoming dialogues. Follow along, join the conversation, and share your ideas on what you think the study groups should focus on.

After all this, Secretary Napolitano and a 13-member Executive Committee (made up of the Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Director of National Intelligence, among others) will analyze the study groups’ recommendations and present their findings to Congress before we ring in the new year.

Web-based collaborative? Defining what DHS will look like for the next four years? Sounds like we'll have som New Year's resolutions.